Democratic Erosion University Course Student Blog

Students enrolled in our course are encouraged to write for the course blog, and to read and comment on posts from students at other participating universities. The blog offers students the opportunity to analyze current events through the lens of the theory and case studies they engage with through the course.

These are student blog posts written by student participants in the Democratic Erosion Course. These posts were not written by nor represent the views of the Democratic Erosion Consortium.

Food Security is Rooted Abroad

Global fertilizer supply chains connect geopolitical events abroad to food production at home in ways most consumers don’t see.

The Meaning of Silence : What the moment of silence for Melissa Hortman says about American democracy

On June 14, 2025, the lives of Melissa Hortman who was a House speaker in Minnesota and her husband Mark were taken in what authorities believe to be a politically motivated act of violence. The same day Senator John Hoffman and his wife were also shot and...

Buying Injustice: The Hidden Harms of this Act.

Are we looking to create a thriving society, or are we allowing fear into the lives of immigrant families? As new immigration policies appear, the question become, how do we prevent the changes that involve separating families and dismantling the place that...

Iranian Sandbox: The Erosion of Trust in the United States

Mar 30, 2026 | University of Houston

The Trump administration has effectively shown to the country that we are subservient to other nations interests. The public lobbying alone by the Israeli government is...

Ecuador’s Security Crisis and the Slow Erosion of Democracy

Mar 30, 2026 | University of Houston

Ecuador has been going through a serious crisis for some years now. The homicide rate jumped from 6 per 100,000 people in 2018 to 47 per 100,000 in 2023, which makes it hard...

The Consequences of McCarthy’s Ousting on American Democracy

Nov 20, 2023 | Northeastern University

On January 7th 2023, Representative Kevin McCarthy was elected as the new Speaker of the House of Representatives after a record-breaking 15 rounds of voting. To achieve this, McCarthy had to make...

Stealth Authoritarianism being an American Compromise.

Nov 20, 2023 | University of Memphis

The Democratic Erosion Project exist to help shed light on how democracy falls apart and ways to preserve it as the rise of authoritarian states spread across the democratic world. However in the...

Chad’s Main Opposition Leader Fears Returning to His Country

Nov 20, 2023 | Northeastern University

The political exile of Succes Masra, leader of a main opposition party to the military junta in Chad, has recently come to an end after over a year away from the country. What is still unclear is...

‘The rest of the world is looking,’ – President Biden Delivers a Warning on U.S. Democratic Backsliding Preceding 2024 Election.

Nov 17, 2023 | Salem State University

On September 28, 2023, U.S. President Joe Biden delivered a speech commemorating the late senator John McCain, addressing the state of democratic backsliding in America, and warning Americans of the...

Democratic Erosion University Course Student Blog

Food Security is Rooted Abroad

The Meaning of Silence : What the moment of silence for Melissa Hortman says about American democracy

Buying Injustice: The Hidden Harms of this Act.

Iranian Sandbox: The Erosion of Trust in the United States

Ecuador’s Security Crisis and the Slow Erosion of Democracy

The Consequences of McCarthy’s Ousting on American Democracy

Chad’s Main Opposition Leader Fears Returning to His Country

‘The rest of the world is looking,’ – President Biden Delivers a Warning on U.S. Democratic Backsliding Preceding 2024 Election.

Artificial Intelligence and Authoritarian Governments

Slovakia’s Decision to Deter Immigrants from Entering the Country and Its Connection to Populism

How a Third Wave of Autocratization Has Impacted Montenegro

Democracy in the United Kingdom: Resilient or a Recipe for Erosion?

Food and Democracy: Democracy-building U.S. Aid Program under Threat

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